A Brooklyn bar has unmasked a new mural that is sure to have heads turning.
Seizing on the current political climate, The Levee in Williamsburg recently teamed up with artist Damien Mitchell for a mural dubbed “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle.”
The artwork, unveiled on Wednesday, depicts a winking Russian President Vladimir Putin holding a mask of President Donald Trump.
Mitchell said the commissioned piece was meant as “tongue-in-cheek” commentary on recent scandals involving Trump’s administration and its contacts with Russia, one of which led to the resignation of his national security adviser, Michael Flynn.
“It’s meant as a reflection of the news cycle that we’ve been hearing for the last couple of weeks,” he said, adding that he hopes people will get the meaning outright. “I think it should be really speaking for itself.”
Mitchell, who is a native Australian but works out of a studio in Flatbush, has been creating murals and street art in the city since 2013.
He said this particular artwork, created with spray paint, took about 15 to 18 hours to complete.
This is the third time Mitchell has painted a mural for The Levee, which regularly rotates art on the building.
“They’re pretty open to let you paint what you want,” he said, but added that he ran the idea past bar management “out of respect.”
A request for comment from The Levee was not immediately returned.
